The Walt Disney World Resort, informally known as Walt Disney World or simply Disney World or shortly WDW, is an entertainment complex in Bay Lake, Florida (mailing address is Lake Buena Vista, Florida), near Kissimmee, Florida and is the flagship of Disney's worldwide theme park empire. The resort opened on October 1, 1971 and, according to Forbes, is the most visited vacation resort in the world, with an attendance of 25 million annually.

Although, originally, the park was to be built in hopes of differential in design and scheme form Disneyland with its own diverse set of rides, Walt Disney died while construction was still in progress on December 5, 1966. Without the ingeniously creative mind of Walt Disney spearheading the construction of Walt Disney World, Disney engineers, dubbed imagineers, were forced to create Walt Disney World very Similar to Disneyland, just on a much larger scale.

In 1959, Walt Disney Productions began looking for land for a second park to supplement Disneyland, which opened in Anaheim, California, in 1955. Market surveys revealed that only 5% of Disneyland's visitors came from east of the Mississippi River, where 75% of the population of the United States lived. Additionally, Walt Disney disliked the businesses that had sprung up around Disneyland and wanted control of a much larger area of land for the new project.[1]

Walt Disney flew over the Orlando-area site (one of many) in November 1963. Seeing the well-developed network of roads, including the planned Interstate 4 and Florida's Turnpike, with McCoy Air Force Base (later Orlando International Airport) to the east, Disney selected a centrally located site near Bay Lake.[2] To avoid a burst of land speculation, Walt Disney World Company used various dummy corporations to acquire 27,443 acres (11,106 ha; 43 sq mi) of land.[2] In May 1965, some of these major land transactions were recorded a few miles southwest of Orlando in Osceola County. Also, two large tracts totaling $1.5 million were sold, and smaller tracts of flatlands and cattle pastures were purchased by exotic-sounding companies such as the "Latin-American Development and Management Corporation" and the "Reedy Creek Ranch Corporation"; some of these names are now memorialized on a window above Main Street, U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom. In addition to three huge parcels of land were many smaller parcels, called "outs". Much of the land acquired had been platted into 5 acres (2 ha) lots in 1912 by the Munger Land Company and sold to investors. Most owners were happy to get rid of the land, which was mostly swamp. Another issue was the mineral rights to the land, which were owned by Tufts University. Without the transfer of these rights, Tufts could come in at any time and demand the removal of buildings to obtain minerals. Eventually, Disney's team negotiated a deal with Tufts to buy the mineral rights for $15,000.[3]

Working under a strict cloak of secrecy, real estate agents who did not know the identity of their client began making offers to landowners in southwest Orange and northwest Osceola counties in April 1964, shortly after Walt Disney chose the site for his new theme park. Careful not to let property owners know the extent of their land-buying appetites, the agents quietly negotiated one deal after another, sometimes lining up contracts to buy huge tracts for little more than $100 an acre.[4] Because they knew that recording the first deeds would trigger intense public questioning about what was going on, Disney's representatives waited until they had a large number of parcels locked up through options before filing their paperwork.

Meanwhile, a rumor had popped up in California that Disney had his eye on Orlando. On May 20, an Orlando Sentinel article acknowledged the persistent rumor that "the land is being purchased for a second East Coast Disneyland attraction", but the paper discounted the gossip, because Disney had specifically denied it when interviewed during a visit to Cape Kennedy. Disney lied in telling the newspaper he was spending $50 million to expand Disneyland in California and was not interested in another such venture at that time. The first purchases, recorded on May 3, 1965, included one for 8,380 acres (3,391 ha; 13 sq mi) of swamp and brush from state Senator Irlo Bronson. The deal had been made seven months earlier. The first newspaper account of the large-scale interest in Orange and Osceola county property ran the next day. The May 4 Orlando Sentinel story said the transactions "will undoubtedly increase rumors already afloat for the past year to the effect that a new and large industrial complex is about to locate in this area."

Because of the proximity to Cape Kennedy, much early speculation centered on space or aircraft technology, according to anthropologist Stephen M. Fjellman in his 1992 book Vinyl Leaves: Walt Disney World and America. Carmakers' names, especially Ford, also were mentioned. Speculation during the summer about the identity of the buyer included the Rockefellers, Howard Hughes and NASA's Manned Orbiting Laboratory Project.

One day while Hinson was putting out the Evening Star, Andersen's afternoon paper, he got a phone call from a friend who said he had been in the office of a New York public relations firm and had been told the firm was helping Disney plan a big development near Orlando. This story was quickly suppressed.

Within three weeks of recording the Bronson transaction, Florida Ranch Lands had wrapped up deals with 47 owners. Eventually, the firm negotiated agreements with 51 owners to buy 27,443 acres (11,106 ha; 43 sq mi) for more than $5 million, an average price of $182 per acre. Disney wanted to announce his ownership of the land and his plans for Walt Disney World on November 15, 1965, but the secret was divulged earlier than that, when, in October 1965, Emily Bavar, editor of the Sentinel '​s Florida magazine, was in Anaheim for Disneyland's 10th anniversary celebration. During an interview with Walt Disney, Bavar asked whether he was buying up vast acreage in Central Florida. Disney was caught unawares, and Bavar suspected that the rumor was true. Therefore, on October 21, 1965, a story by Bavar, written in the first person and acknowledging that she was sticking her neck out, predicted Disney would build a new theme park on the huge tract. After piecing together more information from various sources, the paper led its Sunday edition three days later with a story headlined, "We Say: `Mystery Industry' Is Disney".

Disney allowed Governor Haydon Burns to confirm the next day, October 25, that he intended to build "the greatest attraction in the history of Florida" in Central Florida. Disney came in person to Orlando for the formal announcement with Burns on November 15.[5] Disney explained the plans for the site, including Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, (EPCOT), also known as Progress City, was to be a futuristic planned city. He envisioned a working city with commercial and residential areas that also continued to showcase and test new ideas and concepts for urban living.

Walt Disney died from lung cancer on December 15, 1966, before his vision was realized. His brother and business partner, Roy O. Disney, postponed his retirement to oversee construction of the resort's first phase.

On February 2, 1967, Roy O. Disney held a press conference at the Park Theatres in Winter Park, Florida. The role of EPCOT was emphasized in the film that was played, the last one recorded by Walt Disney before his death. After the film, it was explained that for Disney World, including EPCOT, to succeed, a special district would have to be formed: the Reedy Creek Improvement District with two cities inside it, Bay Lake and Reedy Creek, now Lake Buena Vista. In addition to the standard powers of an incorporated city, which include the issuance of tax-free bonds, the district would have immunity from any current or future county or state land-use laws. The only areas where the district had to submit to the county and state would be property taxes and elevator inspections.[1] The legislation forming the district and the two cities was signed into law by Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. on May 12, 1967. The Supreme Court of Florida then ruled in 1968 that the district was allowed to issue tax-exempt bonds for public projects within the district, despite the sole beneficiary being Walt Disney Productions.

The district soon began construction of drainage canals, and Disney built the first roads and the Magic Kingdom. The Contemporary Resort Hotel, the Polynesian Village, and Fort Wilderness were also completed in time for the park's opening on October 1, 1971. The Palm and Magnolia golf courses near Magic Kingdom had opened a few weeks before. At the park's opening, Roy O. Disney dedicated the property and declared that it would be known as "Walt Disney World" in his brother's honor. In his own words: "Everyone has heard of Ford cars. But have they all heard of Henry Ford, who started it all? Walt Disney World is in memory of the man who started it all, so people will know his name as long as Walt Disney World is here." After the dedication, Roy Disney asked Walt's widow, Lillian, what she thought of Walt Disney World. According to biographer Bob Thomas, she responded, "I think Walt would have approved." Roy O. Disney died on December 20, 1971, less than three months after the property opened.

Much of Walt Disney's plans for his Progress City were abandoned after his death, after the company board decided that it did not want to be in the business of running a city. The concept evolved into the resort's second theme park, EPCOT Center (renamed Epcot in 1996), which opened in 1982. While still emulating Walt Disney's original idea of showcasing new technology, it is closer to a world's fair than a "community of tomorrow". Some of the urban planning concepts from the original idea of EPCOT would instead be integrated into the community of Celebration much later. The resort's third theme park, Disney-MGM Studios (renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2008), opened in 1989, and is inspired by show business. The resort's fourth theme park, Disney's Animal Kingdom, opened in 1998.

Despite marketing claims and popular misconceptions, the Florida resort is not within Orlando city limits, but is actually about 21 miles (34 km) southwest of downtown Orlando, much of it in southwestern Orange County, with the remainder in adjacent Osceola County. The property includes the cities of Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake which are governed by the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The 27,258 acres (11,031 ha; 43 sq mi)[6] site is accessible from Central Florida's Interstate 4 via Exits 62B (World Drive), 64B (US 192 West), 65B (Osceola Parkway West), 67B (SR 536 West), and 68 (SR 535 North), and Exit 8 on SR 429, the Western Expressway. At its founding the park occupied approximately 30,500 acres (12,343 ha; 48 sq mi). Portions of the property have since been sold or de-annexed, including land now occupied by the Disney-built community of Celebration. Now the park occupies 27,258 acres (11,031 ha; 43 sq mi),[6] about the size of San Francisco, or twice the size of Manhattan.

Disney's property includes five golf courses. The four 18-hole golf courses are the Palm (4.5 Stars), the Magnolia (4 Stars), Lake Buena Vista (4 Stars) and Osprey Ridge (4.5 Stars). There is also a nine-hole walking course (no electric carts allowed) called Oak Trail, designed for young golfers. The Magnolia and Palm courses played home to the PGA Tour's Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic. Arnold Palmer Golf Management manages the Disney golf courses.[7] Additionally, there are two themed miniature golf complexes, each with two courses, Fantasia Gardens and Winter Summerland.

While all of the Deluxe resort hotels have achieved a AAA Four Diamond rating, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is considered the highest tier flagship luxury resort on the Walt Disney World Resort complex.[8]

Celebration (A town designed and built by Disney, now managed by a resident-run association.)

Lake Buena Vista (Disney originally intended this area to become a complete community with multiple residences, shopping, and offices, but transformed the original homes into hotel lodging in the 1970s, which were demolished in the early 2000s to build Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa)

Guests with a Disney Resort reservation (excluding the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin) arriving at Orlando International Airport can be transported to their resort from the airport using the complimentary Disney Magical Express service, which is operated by Mears Destination Services as Walt Disney World is not allowed to transport guests off resort property. Guests can also have their bags picked up and transported for them through a contract with BAGS Incorporated. Mears operates custom motor coaches and luggage is delivered to the guests' rooms by BAGS. Disney Cruise Line buses are also operated by Mears.

When the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, the site employed about 5,500 "cast members". Today Walt Disney World employs more than 66,000 cast members, spending more than $1.2 billion on payroll and $474 million on benefits each year. The largest single-site employer in the United States,[17] Walt Disney World has more than 3,700 job classifications. The resort also sponsors and operates the Walt Disney World College Program, an internship program that offers American college students (CP's) the opportunity to live about 15 miles (24 km) off-site in four Disney-owned apartment complexes and work at the resort, and thereby provides much of the theme park and resort "front line" cast members. There is also the Walt Disney World International College Program, an internship program that offers international college students (ICP's) from all over the world the same opportunity.

Walt Disney World's corporate culture is based in some respects on that of its older sibling Disneyland, of which the most interesting is the use of a unique jargon based on theatrical terminology. This phenomenon is so well known that travel guidebooks have to include lists of common terms and abbreviations.[18][19] For example, park visitors are always "guests", employees are "cast members," rides are "attractions" or "adventures", cast members costumed as famous Disney characters in a way that does not cover their faces are known as "face characters", jobs are "roles", and public and nonpublic areas are respectively labeled "onstage" and "backstage".[18][19]

In a March 30, 2004 article in the Orlando Sentinel, then-Walt Disney World president Al Weiss gave some insight into how the parks are maintained:

More than 5,000 cast members are dedicated to maintenance and engineering, including 750 horticulturists and 600 painters.

Disney spends more than $100 million every year on maintenance at the Magic Kingdom. In 2003, $6 million was spent on renovating its Crystal Palace restaurant. 90 percent of guests say that the upkeep and cleanliness of the Magic Kingdom are excellent or very good.

The streets in the parks are steam cleaned every night.

There are cast members permanently assigned to painting the antique carousel horses; they use genuine gold leaf.

There is a tree farm on site so that when a mature tree needs to be replaced, a thirty-year-old tree will be available to replace it.

A fleet of Disney-operated buses on property, branded Disney Transport, is complimentary for guests. In 2007, Disney Transport started a guest services upgrade to the buses. SatellGPS systems controlling new public address systems on the buses give safety information, park tips and other general announcements, with music. They are not to be confused with the Disney Cruise Line and Disney's Magical Express buses, which are operated by Mears Transportation. The Walt Disney World Monorail System also provides transportation at Walt Disney World. They operate on three routes that interconnect at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC), adjacent to the Magic Kingdom's parking lot. One line provides an express non-stop link from the TTC to the Magic Kingdom, while a second line provides a link from the TTC to Epcot. The third line links the TTC and the Magic Kingdom to the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian resorts. Disney Transport also operates a fleet of watercraft, ranging in size from water taxis up to the ferries that connect the Magic Kingdom to the Transportation and Ticket Center. Additionally, it is also responsible for maintaining the fleet of parking lot trams used for shuttling visitors between the various theme park parking lots and their respective main entrances.

During the resort's early planning stages, Walt Disney referred to the project as Project X, The Florida Project, Disney World, and The Disney World. Early visual references used the same medieval font as Disneyland. Walt Disney was very involved in the site selection and project planning in the years before his death. The secretive names were chosen because of the high confidentiality of the project during the initial planning. After Walt Disney's death, Roy O. Disney added the name Walt to Disney World as a permanent tribute to his brother.

The original Walt Disney World logo featured an over-sized "D" with a Mickey Mouse-shaped globe containing latitude and longitude lines, with the property's name presented in a blocky, modern, sans-serif font. The original logo was retired during the resort's 25th anniversary celebration in 1996 and was replaced with the current logo, which features the "Walt Disney" portion of the logo in the typical Disney corporate signature font and "World" in Times New Roman font. Remnants of the original logo can still be found in many places throughout the resort, including the SpectroMagic title float, on the front car of each monorail, manhole covers, survey markers, and flags flown at several sites across the property. During the resort's 40th anniversary celebration in 2011, the original logo began to reappear on merchandise sold at the resort and can still be found on select items sold at various gift shops and stores at Walt Disney World.

As part of a competition run by Disney for 2010, Walt Disney World has an unofficial twinning (sister city) with Swindon, England, since 2009.[20][21] Rebecca Warren's submission to the competition granted Swindon to be the twin town of Walt Disney World, which is famous for its intersection with six roundabouts. Warren and the mayor of Swindon were invited to a "twinning" ceremony, where a plaque revealing the connection will be placed.[22]